Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundary Commission (IEBC) has come under criticism after the Supreme Court confirmed the electoral victory of President Uhuru Kenyatta. But IEBC Commissioner Yusuf Nzibo says the criticisms are unjustified because the commission faced various challenges during the March general election. Critics say the IEBC oversaw a flawed voting process, which they contend led to an election dispute that was finally settled by the Supreme Court. They also said the electoral commission failed to adequately educate voters in the run up to the vote. Nzibo disagrees.
“The turnout was historical. We have never had such a huge turnout, which was over 86 percent. In some areas, it was actually 95 percent,” Nzibo said.
“Look at the number of spoiled votes. They were really minimal, taking into account that people had to cast their vote six times,” said Nzibo. “So to a large extent, we as a commission are very satisfied with the way we organized [the vote] even though we also do admit that there were challenges.”
He said IEBC officials were cooperating with the anti-graft agency, which is investigating the acquisition of voting equipment for the elections.
Full Article: Electoral Commission Criticized for Kenya Balloting Dispute.
